Selling in the feed changes what the video has to do. Here is the format, the length and the one thing that kills conversion.
The first three seconds decide everything
They are not there to seduce, they are there to situate.
Three elements must fit inside them.
What the product is, shown and not described.
Who it is for, expressed through a recognisable situation.
And why anybody would watch on: a question, a contrast, an unexpected gesture.
Two shooting rules. The sound must be understandable without earphones, because half the views happen in a noisy place. And the main message must also be written on screen, at the top of the frame, for the views with no sound.
Short length and a single idea
That is the most violated constraint of the format.
A social commerce video carries one argument, not four. The second argument does not reinforce the first, it dilutes it.
Three useful lengths. Fifteen seconds for an obvious product. Thirty for a product needing a demonstration. Forty-five when a real before and after has to be shown.
Beyond that, you are no longer selling in the feed: you are making another video, for another place.
What kills conversion
Four things, in order of frequency.
The gap between the video and the page: different colour, different format, wider promise.
The missing next step: the person is convinced and does not know what to do.
The silence after the message: an answer arriving the next day is a lost sale, and in this category the conversation is the purchase step.
And the promise you cannot keep on a delivery time. That one costs the longest, because it comes back in public comments.
Content that looks like content
That is the paradox of the category, and it is measurable.
An over-produced video is identified as an advert in two seconds, and the audience moves on.
Three choices working better than a careful shoot. The light of the real place, imperfect as it is. A single take, with its hesitations. And a frame showing the life around the product.
The disclosure rule stays whole: as soon as there is consideration, the advertising mention is mandatory, visible from the start, and its exact forms are checked with the competent authorities.
What each second has to do
| Second | Role | Sign of failure |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 2 | Show the product in use | A full-frame logo |
| 3 to 10 | Answer one precise doubt | A list of arguments |
| 11 to 20 | Give the buying gesture | A vague call |
What is prepared before going live
The up-to-date product page, the available stock, the link that opens the right variant and the partnership disclosure when the video is funded.
What is checked after release
The three-second view rate, the questions in the comments and the stock-outs. Those three signals say which shot to redo first.
What to measure
Four indicators, and only two decide.
Views and retention rate serve to compare hooks against each other.
Opened conversations and attributed sales decide the budget.
A simple method: a different link or code per video, and a reading after seven days, not after twenty-four hours. In this category a share of purchases happens after a conversation lasting several days, and reading too fast leads to cutting the videos that earn the most.
